Summer 2020 Free Expression Programs Internship
PEN America’s Free Expression Programs department is seeking several motivated interns or volunteers to support our work defending and promoting free expression and supporting writers at risk in the… More
The PEN Pod: Defending the Freedom to Write with Karin Deutsch Karlekar
“It’s also incredibly important to not just look at numbers and to give the trends a human face, and to really look at the individual cases of writers and… More
PEN to Paper: Embellishing Memory with Porsha Olayiwola
PEN to Paper brings you powerful espresso shots of creative inspiration to jumpstart your writing. In this week’s lesson, poet and performer Porsha Olayiwola guides us through a brief… More
Just Press Play with James Hannaham
This week’s playlist comes to us from James Hannaham, winner of the PEN/Faulkner and Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards for his novel, Delicious Foods. More
The PEN Pod: Looking Through Time with Rebecca Makkai
“Look at the ways that the American healthcare system, in times of crisis, exacerbates the fissures that are already there, the inequalities that are already there.” More
Next Generation Now Virtual Storytime with Nic Stone
Our first “Next Generation Now Virtual Storytime” reading comes from middle grade and young adult fiction author Nic Stone. More
The PEN Pod: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“The power of disinformation online, we see, is enormous.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Ishmael Beah
“I was taught, and know for a fact, that stories are medicine. . . Life will always break all of us in one way or another, and stories will… More
Writers in Residence: Stitch in This Time with Elisabeth Åsbrink
“Writers in Residence” gives us a glimpse of life from beyond the writing desk. In this week’s installment, Elisabeth Åsbrink shows us how she uses embroidery to create beautiful… More
These Truths: Ben Okri’s The Freedom Artist with Anderson Tepper
In this week’s episode of our “These Truths” podcast, novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and short story writer, Ben Okri speaks with Anderson Tepper, member of the editorial staff of… More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
“For incarcerated people, I think we are our own best allies on this...Because you’ve all tried to live through those same experiences.” @Keribla’s powerful podcast interview illuminates the pandemic's effect on people with involvement. Listen in: https://bit.ly/2Z20tb8.